Fitting for sanitary fixtures



Aug. 19, 1952 c. R. MORRIS FITTING FOR SANITARY FIXTURES Filed Jan. 11, 1951 mRM ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 19, 1952 2,607,045, I FITTING For; ISANI'IYARJYEFDITURES- 1 Charles Morris Norris town, Pa.

l l licationJanuary 11', 1951, s 3...

I 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-199 1, This invention relates to a fitting construction for sanitary fixtures. Morespecifically, the invention relates to a drain fitting so constructed as to permit opening of same to facilitate cleaning ofthe drain assembly in bathtubs, sinks, lavatories and the like. fBuilt-in bathtubs are generally provided today with va pop-up drain valve which is internally actuatedinto open or closed position by manipulating an operating handle connected. to an angular operating rod extending through the overflowv pipe. It has been diflicult to clean the drain pipe in such assembly when it becomes obstructed with foreign matter. After a few years use, a mass of hair, lint and soap sludge accumulates at the elbow portion of the angular operating rod which usually extends into: a T-fitting connected to the drain line. This foreign material will finally build .up to such extent as to completely clog the T-fitting as well as the drain tube connected to it so as to prevent draining of water from the bathtub. In order to'clean the drain line, attempts have been made in the past to pump out the drain line with a plumbers force pump or to push a thin wire with'a small hook-on the end through the bathtub drainoutlet or down through the overflow shoe outlet and draw the mass out of either of these outlets. This is a costly, procedure for the home owner and is rarely successful in thoroughly cleaning the drain line. At best such procedures will clean out the drain line only temporarily so that it is ultimately necessary to disassemble the entire drain fitting assembly to make it possible to remove the accumulated mass in the drain line. This-can be accomplished by first removing the overflow cover plate and then removing the spud in the bathtub supporting the pop-up valve. It is usually very difiicult to remove the spud because the sealing putty or paint has hardened and when additional force-is applied the lugs on the spud break. The plumber must then open the access dobr'to the fitting which is usually located in the hallway or bedroom and'get beneath the tub to saw the spud off so it can be removed. I The usual waste outlet. shoe and drain tube can now be removed and cleaned. The overflow tube can also be removed now and the accumulated mass adhering to the elbow in the angular operating rod can be removed. A new drain valve assembly must then be replaced and additional labor is entailed in assembling the parts together.

The present invention overcomes the abovementioned difficulties and provides a drain fitting construction which makes it possible to avoid the laborious and costly methods in cleaning accumulated material in the drain line by providing ready access to the drain line. For this purpose a fitting having a novel construction is provided which has a removable closure at an accessible location for an opening in the fitting through which access can be easily had to the drain line for cleaning same without requiring disassembly of any parts of the drain assembly. Further advantages and details of my invention will be apparent from the following specification and appended drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view,- partly in'section, of a' drain fitting for sanitary fixtures constructed in accordance with my invention, f

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a plug'or insert member used in the fitting, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified construction of a fitting made in accordancewith my invention. g g '1 Referring to the-drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a bathtub I having a drain outlet in the bottom provided with a threaded drain valve spud I3 having' lugs Na and HI). spud I3 is retained in place by being screwed into a drainelbow or shoe l5 which is sealed against the underside of the bathtub I by asket It. 'A pop-up valve or drain plug I2 is; seated in spud [3 the former being provided with afoot portion 12a which rests on the end'lla of the angular operating rod ll.

Operating rod H is L-shaped and extends horizontally through the shoe l5, drain tube I5, fitting 22 and vertically through the vertical'overflow tube Ill. The overflow tube I0 is connected to the overflow shoe or elbow 21 which is sealed against the bathtub wall adjacent the overflow outlet by a gasket 4. An overflow cover plate 6 is retained imposition by suitable screws extending through same to the overflow shoe 2]. A spindle 3 having a crank end 3a extends through the cover plate 6 into the overflow shoe 2! and is provided with an operating handle 2 retained by screw l. The crank end 3a of spindle 3 is connected by a pin 8 to an eye'socket 9 retained'at the upper end of the angular operating rod ll so that by rotating handle 2 upwardly or downwardly the operating rod II will be raised and lowered vertically, thereby actuating the pop-up valve to open or closed position as desired.

The assembly so far described may be of any conventional construction now available on the market. The novel feature of the present assembly resides in the fitting 22 which is provided tube l attached to drain shoe by a packed 1 coupling I9. I leads to a chamber 24 merging with the interior The opposite left-hand opening 15 of the fitting 22 through whichithe-elbow H b of the operating rod l l extends.

A removable threaded closure or access cap 28 t is provided which is adapted to close chamber 24 and is preferably sealed thereto by a gasket 23. A'removable plug or insert l8 preferably made of brass and having the construction shown, for example, in Figure 2 is positioned .in chamber 24 so -as to snugly. fit therein. The insert I8 may be a hollow cylindrical tube having a closed imperforate end wall 18a which extends within thechamber short of the elbow l lb of'the operating rod H. The insert 18 is provided with-a grasping portion 26 to facilitate removal of the insert through the adjacent opening in the fitting .22 when the access cap 20 is removed. The insert may have any other suitable construction and may be made of solid metal, plastic or other suitable material. It servesto prevent any solids from accumulating or building up in th chamber 24.

When it is necessary to clean out the drain line, the procedure-is very simple and merely in.- volves unscrewing access cap 28, then removing the insert-l8 and cleaning the dirt accumulated on the elbow l lb or elsewhere in the drain pipe or drain-shee The labor involved in such operation .is obviously-very small as compared with the labor required in prior installations, as previously described, where a conventional T-fitting is used in place of the present novel fitting 22 asherein described.

The fitting construction 22 shown in Figure 1 .may be modified if desired so as to position the chamber 24 receiving the insert In at a rightangle to the opening connected with the drain tube. Such construction is shown in Figure 3 wherein the fitting is provided with an upper outlet adapted to be connected to the overflow tubelfl by coupling3 l an opposed axially aligned lower outlet adapted to be connected to a waste lineby coupling 32, a third opening positionedat rightangles to the aforesaid openings which is adapted to be connected to the drain tube 15 by a coupling 34 and a fourth opening leading to a. chamber 35, similar to chamber 24, located at right angles to the previous drain-connecting opening for receiving an insert l8 as previously described. The chamber 35 is closed by a closure or access cap 2!) as previously described. If desired, the chamber 35 may be positioned on the opposite left side of the fitting. Such right and very little labor.

4 left pattern fittings can be used in installations where joists or other obstacles would prevent access to the closure cap 20 when using the straight way pattern shown in Figure 1.

My present invention obviously ofiers many advantages over the prior drain fittings. It makes it possible to secure better discharge of waste water from sanitary fixtures since the drain line can be readily cleaned whenever necessary with More sanitary conditions are thus made possible in homes, offices and other buildings since the germ hazard is reduced by eliminating the undue accumulation of debris,

dirt and other waste solids in the drain line. Stench and obnoxious gases evolved from the accumulated mass will thus not discharge back through the waste outlet or through the overflow outlet into the room where the fixture is located.

It is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the specific'illustrative embodiments of the invention hereinjdescribed and that other modifications and variations thereof are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

In a sanitary fixture the combination ofja receptacle having respective waste and overflow orifices, a substantially L-shaped conduit having theends thereof connected with the said'waste and overflow orifices, said L-shaped conduit being provided with a fitting at the elbow portion thereof, said fitting being provided witha chamber having an accessible opening for permitting access to the interior of said L-shaped conduit for cleaning same, a removable closure cap for closing said accessible opening, and a removable'plug member having a grasping portion positioned in said chamber and of a size to substantially completely fill said chamber to prevent accumulation of foreign matter in said chamber.

2. In a sanitary fixture the combination of a receptacle having respective waste andoverflow orifices, a substantially L- shaped conduit having the ends thereof connected with the said waste and overflow orifices, said L-shapedconduit being provided with a fitting at the elbow portion thereof, said fitting being provided with a chamber having an accessible openingfor permitting access'to the interior of said'L-shaped conduit'for cleaning same, a removable closure cap for closing said accessible opening, and a removable plug member positioned in said chamber and of a size to substantially completely fill said chamber to prevent accumulation of foreign matter in said chamber, said plug member being formed of a cylindrical member closed at one end thereof and presented to the interior of saidchamber.

' CHARLES RJMORRIS.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS i Date Number Name 595,577 Moore Dec. 14, 1897 765,697 Bunting, Jr July 26, 190.4 1,671,134 Speakman 3 May :29, 1928 

